Colts' Wide Receiver Suffers Season-Ending Injury
It has been reported that the Indianapolis Colts have had yet another season-ending injury occur before the 2023 season begins. This time, it’s at the wide receiver position.
"Colts’ WR Ashton Dulin suffered a season-ending torn ACL during last night’s practice, per source," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Dulin now joins safety Daniel Scott and offensive tackle Jake Witt with season-ending designations.
Dulin may not have been a household name or a superstar receiver for the Colts' offense, but he was one of the top special teams players and still has big-play upside, providing depth at wideout. The four-year Colts veteran was coming off one of his best seasons as a receiver, snagging 15 passes for 207 receiving yards and a score.
Dulin is also integral to the kickoff and punt teams, accumulating a total of 36 tackles with an impressive 17 total in 2021 alone.
With the 2023 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars less than a month away, this is a serious blow to the Colts' special teams unit and the depth at wide receiver. Dulin is now out for the year, and his absence will leave a void at both spots for Indianapolis to figure out a remedy for.
The question now is who will take the step up to replace the important Dulin? The Colts signed undrafted free-agent wide receiver Tyler Adams to take Dulin's roster spot, but he's unlikely to factor into the final roster at this point.
Fellow wide receivers Mike Strachan, Amari Rodgers, and Breshad Perriman could make the case to replace Dulin and now have opportunities to make the 53-man roster. This franchise needs as many veterans and leaders as possible with such a young squad heading into the 2023 season.
We’ll see how head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard approach this unforeseen circumstance.
